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Stewart to skip third race since fatal crash

TONY STEWART: Stewart, one of the highest-paid drivers in NASCAR, was competing in a sprint car race on Aug. 9 in upstate New York when he clipped the car of 20-year-old driver Kevin Ward Jr. Photo: Reuters

(Reuters) – Tony Stewart will skip this weekend’s NASCAR Sprint Cup race at the Bristol Motor Speedway in Tennessee, the third consecutive event the three-time champion has missed since being involved in a fatal on-track accident.

Jeff Burton will replace Stewart for the second straight week, Stewart-Haas Racing said Wednesday.

Stewart, one of the highest-paid drivers in NASCAR, was competing in a sprint car race on Aug. 9 in upstate New York when he clipped the car of 20-year-old driver Kevin Ward Jr.

Ward was sent careening into a retaining wall while Stewart continued racing. When the caution flag came out, Ward jumped out of his car and, while in the middle of the track, pointed angrily at Stewart when he came around on the next lap.